[meteorite-list] A curious reference

From: Alan Pickup <alan_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:04:44 2004
Message-ID: <J8SDT+LzVX08Ew6$_at_wingar.demon.co.uk>

Francis Graham <francisgraham_at_rocketmail.com> writes
>Now here's a curious reference:
>
>English Mechanic "Killed by a Meteor" 1880 06 04
>
>Alas. My library does not have this. I could do an
>interlibrary request, but if this has your curiosity
>aroused too, and your library has back issues of the
>"English Mechanic", it will save time if you share a
>synopsis.

Francis (& list),

I have unearthed the copy of the "English Mechanic and World of Science"
No 793 for June 4, 1880, in the library of the Royal Observatory,
Edinburgh. There is a one paragraph note (p316 of the volume) that
reads:
_______________________________________________________________________
Killed by a Meteor -- The "South Australian register" for April 3 quotes
the "Littleton Times" as stating that as David Meisenthaler, a
well-known stockman of Whitestone township, was driving his cows to the
barn about daylight a short time ago, he was struck by an aerolite and
instantly killed. It appears as if the meteor had come from a direction
a little west of south, and fell from an angle of about 60 degrees, for
it first passed through a tall maple, cutting the limbs as clean as if
it had been a cannon-ball, and then struck him apparently on or under
the shoulder, passing clean through him obliquely from below the right
shoulder to above the left hip, and buried itself about two feet in the
soft black ground. The poor man's head and legs were injured, but the
greater part of his body seems to have been crushed into the earth
beneath the terrific aerolite, which was about the size of a common
patent bucket, and apparently of a rough, round shape. It appeared to be
formed of what is called iron pyrites.
_______________________________________________________________________


Alan

-- 
Alan Pickup / COSPAR 2707:  55.8968N   3.1989W   +208m   (WGS84 datum)
Edinburgh  / SatEvo & elsets:    http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/
Scotland  / Decay Watch: http://www.wingar.demon.co.uk/satevo/dkwatch/
          *

Received on Thu 02 May 2002 01:20:51 PM PDT